SAR 127 MT Heavy Machine Gun: Specifications and the ALTAY Integration

Quick answer: The SAR 127 MT is a 12.7×99 mm NATO heavy machine gun developed and made by Sarsılmaz in Türkiye. Its data sheet describes a belt-fed weapon using M9 links, with left or right feed, single-shot and automatic fire, a quick-change barrel and a weight of about 37 to 38 kg. Sarsılmaz says the gun arms the remote weapon stations of the ALTAY main battle tanks delivered to the Turkish Land Forces on 28 October 2025. A separate air version, the SAR 127 MT AIR, has a fixed barrel and a higher rate of fire and was built into a gun pod for the HÜRKUŞ-C aircraft. No export customer has been named.

The 12.7 mm heavy machine gun is one of the most widely mounted weapons on armoured vehicles, ships and helicopters, and for decades Türkiye bought it from abroad. The SAR 127 MT is Sarsılmaz’s domestically developed answer. This guide sets out the manufacturer’s published figures for both versions, where the official material contradicts itself, and what has actually been confirmed about the gun’s users. For the company’s wider military range, see our guide to Sarsılmaz military weapons.

Development and background

Sarsılmaz presents the SAR 127 MT as an indigenous design, with the company supplying the full technical data package. It says the gun is among the official development projects of Türkiye’s Defence Industry Agency (SSB) and that it has completed qualification and acceptance and entered active service. Sarsılmaz has not published the contract date or delivery quantities, and we could not find an SSB statement dedicated to the SAR 127 MT.

The gun appeared publicly as part of Sarsılmaz’s machine-gun family alongside the 7.62 mm SAR 762 MT. Ahead of IDEF 2023, the trade magazine Defence Turkey reported from the company’s Düzce factory that qualification tests of the land version had been completed and that every part of the gun, from barrel to receiver, was being produced in two versions: one for land platforms and one for aircraft. At DSEI 2023 in London, Sarsılmaz described the land version as suitable for armoured vehicles and remote weapon stations, and said testing of the air version was continuing with TR Mekatronik.

Defense and Tech graphic comparing official barrel length, overall length, weight, stated rate of fire and effective range of the Sarsılmaz SAR 127 MT and SAR 127 MT AIR heavy machine guns — SAR 127 MT and SAR 127 MT AIR: official Sarsılmaz figures compared. Graphic: Defense and Tech; data: Sarsılmaz data sheets and product pages.

Design and features

Sarsılmaz’s data sheet for the land version (revision 1, 15 January 2024) describes a weapon that fires from a closed bolt in automatic and from an open bolt in single-shot mode. It is fed by M9 link belts from either side, which the company says lets it fit different weapon stations and gun positions. Other listed features are a quick-change barrel (QCB) with a carrying handle for barrel changes, a Stellite-lined barrel, a coaxial mounting option, tripod use for platform and infantry roles, and compatibility with an anti-aircraft sight.

The SAR 127 MT AIR is a different weapon in practice. Its data sheet (revision 0, 9 January 2024) describes a short-recoil, open-bolt gun that fires automatic only and is triggered by a solenoid, as is usual for remotely fired aircraft guns. The barrel is fixed and hard-chrome lined, the barrel jacket is perforated and there is a Picatinny rail. Sarsılmaz states a barrel life of 10,000 rounds. In 2023, Sarsılmaz deputy general manager Öner Özyılmaz told Anadolu Agency that the air version uses lighter internal parts to reach a higher rate of fire.

Manufacturer data	SAR 127 MT	SAR 127 MT AIR
Calibre	12.7×99 mm NATO	12.7×99 mm NATO
Feed	M9 link belt, left or right	M9 link belt, left or right
Operating principle (data sheet)	Closed bolt in automatic, open bolt in single shot	Short recoil, open bolt
Fire modes	Safe, single shot, automatic	Automatic (solenoid fired)
Barrel	1,144 mm, quick-change	915 mm, fixed
Overall length	1,655 mm	1,665 mm (product page: 1,610 mm)
Height × width	230 × 228 mm	309 × 191 mm
Weight	37,400 g (product page: 38,100 g)	32,700 g
Stated rate of fire	500–600 rounds/min	950–1,150 rounds/min
Stated muzzle velocity	900 m/s	860 m/s
Stated effective range	1,830 m	1,850 m

Figures are Sarsılmaz’s own, from its data sheets and product pages checked on 4 November 2026. They have not been independently tested.

Where the official material disagrees

Sarsılmaz’s own documents are not fully consistent, and readers comparing figures should know where:

Weight: the land version’s data sheet gives 37,400 g, while the English and Turkish product pages give 38,100 g. The Turkish page also prints the imperial figure as “28.4 oz”, which is clearly an error.
Rate of fire: the land version’s product page gives 600 rounds/min, the data sheet 500–600.
Maximum range: the data sheet gives 6,800 m, and the Turkish product text gives 6,764 m.
AIR length and rate of fire: the AIR product page gives 1,610 mm overall, the data sheet 1,665 mm. The sheet’s 950–1,150 rounds/min also differs from the 900–1,250 reported by Defence Turkey in 2023 and the “1,100 rounds a minute” quoted by Anadolu Agency.
AIR description: the AIR product page reuses the land version’s text about single-shot fire and a quick-change barrel, which contradicts its own specification table.

Where figures differ, this article uses the data sheet and notes the alternative.

The ALTAY integration

The SAR 127 MT’s most prominent application is on Türkiye’s new main battle tank. On 28 October 2025, the first serial-production Yeni ALTAY tanks were handed over to the Turkish Army at the opening of BMC’s tank plant near Ankara, in a ceremony attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, according to BMC. In December 2025, Sarsılmaz said that the remote weapon stations (UKSS) on all of the tanks delivered were armed with the SAR 127 MT, and Anadolu Agency reported the company’s statement on 17 December 2025.

Two points are worth keeping separate. First, the claim that every delivered tank carries the gun comes from Sarsılmaz; BMC’s ALTAY page does not list weapon-station suppliers, and the company has not said which weapon station is fitted. Second, Sarsılmaz says the gun works with remote weapon stations made by BEST Defence, a Sarsılmaz group company, as well as other makers. For the tank itself, see our ALTAY tank guide and our profile of the prime contractor BMC.

The HÜRKUŞ-C gun pod

The air version was developed for a gun pod built by TR Mekatronik, a joint venture of Sarsılmaz and Turkish Aerospace (TUSAŞ), to fit under the wing of the HÜRKUŞ-C light attack aircraft. In September 2023, Özyılmaz told Anadolu Agency that prototypes were ready, the first firing tests had been completed at an underground range and qualification on the aircraft was about to start. He said the pod collects spent cases and links and carries its own ammunition.

The programme has taken longer than those statements suggested. At SAHA 2026 in May 2026, TR Mekatronik general manager Fatih Çevik told TRHaber that integration and ground tests with the HÜRKUŞ were still under way and that the pod would fly with the aircraft after they were finished. We found no announcement of a completed flight qualification as of 4 November 2026.

International context

In NATO and many other armies, the reference weapon in this class is the Browning M2 family, made today by several companies including FN Herstal, whose current M2HB-QCB MK2 is offered for vehicles, boats and ships. The SAR 127 MT fills the same role and uses the same NATO 12.7×99 mm ammunition. A detailed comparison is planned as a separate article; we do not rank the guns here, as no independent comparative test has been published.

Sarsılmaz is not the only Turkish maker in this class. SSB announced in August 2022 that the CANİK M2 QCB, produced by Samsun Yurt Savunma under the SSB “PMT 12.7” programme for platform machine guns, had completed qualification and entered series production. Türkiye therefore has two domestic 12.7 mm heavy machine guns, from two different companies. Our Sarsılmaz vs Canik comparison covers the wider rivalry between the firms.

Confirmed users and markets

User	Version	Evidence
Turkish Land Forces (on ALTAY tank remote weapon stations)	SAR 127 MT	Sarsılmaz statement, December 2025; reported by Anadolu Agency
HÜRKUŞ-C gun pod (TR Mekatronik / TUSAŞ)	SAR 127 MT AIR	Development and testing; no service entry announced

Sarsılmaz says it exports to more than 80 countries and markets the SAR 127 MT as an export option for allied and partner nations, but it has not named any foreign customer for this gun. We list none.

What makes it notable?

The SAR 127 MT matters less for any single figure than for what it represents: a Turkish company supplying the heavy machine gun on the country’s new main battle tank, a role long filled by imported weapons. It also extends Sarsılmaz from pistols and rifles into platform weapons, alongside the SAR 762 MT and the company’s group firms BEST Defence and TR Mekatronik. The open questions are independent performance data, delivery numbers and whether the AIR version completes flight qualification.

Frequently asked questions

What is the SAR 127 MT?

The SAR 127 MT is a 12.7×99 mm NATO heavy machine gun developed and made by Sarsılmaz in Türkiye. It is belt-fed with M9 links, can fire single shots or automatic, and has a quick-change barrel.

How much does the SAR 127 MT weigh?

Sarsılmaz’s data sheet gives 37,400 g for the land version, while its product pages give 38,100 g. The SAR 127 MT AIR weighs 32,700 g according to its data sheet.

What is the difference between the SAR 127 MT and the SAR 127 MT AIR?

The land version has a quick-change barrel, fires single shots or automatic and has a stated rate of 500–600 rounds/min. The AIR version has a fixed 915 mm barrel, fires automatic only through a solenoid and has a stated rate of 950–1,150 rounds/min.

Is the SAR 127 MT used on the ALTAY tank?

Yes, according to Sarsılmaz. The company says the remote weapon stations on all ALTAY tanks delivered to the Turkish Land Forces on 28 October 2025 are armed with the SAR 127 MT.

How much does the SAR 127 MT cost?

Sarsılmaz has not published a price, and no contract value for the gun has been made public.

Who else makes a 12.7 mm machine gun in Türkiye?

Samsun Yurt Savunma (Canik) makes the CANİK M2 QCB, which SSB said completed qualification and entered series production in 2022 under its PMT 12.7 programme.

Sources

Last verified: 4 November 2026. Specifications are the manufacturer’s published figures; adoption claims are attributed to their sources. Featured photo: Altay tank at Teknofest 2023 (file photo), Emir Geçir / Wikimedia Commons, CC0.